Beach
by Alyson Tierney
Summary: Post season 5. Rory is on a beach, alone and depressed, when she meets a vibrant redhead from another WB show, who tries to cheer her up. Rory centric Buffy xover.
1. Disappointment

Beach

By: Alyson Tierney

Disclaimer: I do not own Lorelai Gilmore, Rory Gilmore, or any related Gilmore Girls characters or places mentioned. Those all belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB network. I also do not own Buffy Summers, Dawn Summers, Willow Rosenberg, Tara Maclay, Angel, or any related Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel characters or places mentioned. They belong to Joss Whedon and the WB and UPN networks. After this long paragraph it should be obvious that I am simply borrowing such characters for entertainment reasons, so don't sue.

Author's Note: This is a short four-chapter story that came to me one day as I was thinking about my two favorite shows and was thinking "Hey, how cool would it be to combine them?" Basically, this takes place after season 5 of Gilmore Girls, and two years after the demise of Sunnydale. There is a pair of lesbians in this story, so if that isn't your thing, please leave the page now. Thanks for reading and review if you wish.

Chapter One

The wind whipped through the tall, greenish brown grass at the edge of the beach. The waves crashed over whitish grey rocks, splashing over the sand at Rory's feet. She perched on a rock, her notebook and purse next to her, but she wasn't paying them any attention. She'd obtained herself a long stick, smooth from the beating of the waves, and was making patterns in the water in the tidal pool next to her. The waves almost reached the pool now, but a few hours before, they had surely been underneath the salty seawater.

Rory pushed her choppy brown hair back over her shoulders. She hadn't brushed her hair this morning, she hadn't felt like it. Just like she hadn't felt like doing many things for the past month. Her blue jeans were rolled up past her knees, and her strappy sandals lay a few feet away in the sand. Dipping her toes in the water, she sighed as she felt the biting cold of the Atlantic Ocean. It was nearing the end of June, but the water temperature of the ocean never warmed very much in New England, even in the summertime.

Hearing happy shouts, Rory looked back at where she'd parked her car and watched a happy family getting out of their minivan. They chatted happily as they unloaded their car with towels, beach chairs, coolers, and beach toys. She noticed they were all older, none of them looking under the age of seventeen or eighteen. Wondering about the family, she picked up her notebook and began to doodle. Were they all siblings? Cousins? Were they visiting here or did they live here? Was this a normal outing at the beach or was it their first time seeing the Atlantic? All those questions running through her head, Rory was able to forget her own problems for about a second and a half.

At the thought of reminding herself of her problems, she squinted as they hit her again full force. The anger on her mother's face, her grandparents looking at her like she was about to morph into another Lorelai. They kept insisting that she find a job, and they had found her several, but she had never kept one more than a week. She kept up the guise of "that's not what I want to do, either," but really, she just wanted it all to stop. She wanted everything to go back to the way it was when she was sixteen.

Choking back a lump in her throat she remembered how she had escaped the pool house this morning. She'd waited until after her grandfather went to work, and told her grandmother she was going for a drive, and drive she had. For over three hours she had wound her way down secondary highways and unpaved roads until she found herself at this little beach. It wasn't very crowded, so she could watch the family as they played in the water and on the sand.

Rory smiled as she watched, the family consisted of two guys and four women. The youngest woman was a brunette, and Rory wasn't sure if she was even a woman yet. She looked easily still in her late teens, possibly still in high school. She'd rushed towards the ocean, her long, brown curls bouncing all around as she dove in, and then jumped back out, screeching about the cold.

One of the guys had jet black hair, and one of his eyes was covered with a patch. Rory wondered about that, if he just wore it to be macho, or if he had a pirate fetish. He stripped down to his yellow-and-green patterned trunks and raced after the younger brunette, splashing her and then doing his best to duck her splashes. He played with a big-brotherly affection, which made Rory wonder if he actually was the brunette's big brother.

The other guy, with spiky brown hair, had spread several towels out, and was lying across one of them, seemingly enjoying the sunshine and warmth. Rory wondered if anyone had warned him about skin cancer. He wore large sunglasses, almost too big for his face, and Sponge Bob swim trunks. Rory wondered if he had actually chosen them himself, and then wondered what kind of man wore Sponge Bob swim trunks. He seemed to be enjoying himself, and often cast glances at the other three women, who were playing in the sand.

A blonde was lying down, propped up on her elbows, laughing as the other two women buried her feet in the sand. Her blonde hair was shining in the sun, and her eyes sparkling as she laughed with a redhead and another blonde who were busily patting the sand down around her feet. They were all talking happily, and the woman with red-gold hair was propping small sticks and pebbles on the mound, making what looked to Rory like a really bad floral arrangement.

Rory looked down, feeling choked up again. She longed for her mom, and how much fun they'd have on the beach in the summer. They hadn't gone in a few years but they'd used to go to beaches all the time. They'd stay all day, and come home sunburned and tired, but very, very happy.

Rory let her feet drop back into the water, sniffling back tears. She was tempted to just dive in and swim and swim, but there was no knowing where sharks and undertow would be, so she just sat. She poked at a small shell in the tidal pool with her foot, and was studying it so intensely, she didn't notice when the redhead sat down on the rock next to hers.

"Hey." The redhead spoke, her green eyes sparkling with interest and wonder as she looked into Rory's piercing blue eyes.

To Be Continued…


	2. Confusion

Beach

By: Alyson Tierney

Disclaimer: I do not own Lorelai Gilmore, Rory Gilmore, or any related Gilmore Girls characters or places mentioned. Those all belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB network. I also do not own Buffy Summers, Dawn Summers, Willow Rosenberg, Tara Maclay, Angel, or any related Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel characters or places mentioned. They belong to Joss Whedon and the WB and UPN networks. After this long paragraph it should be obvious that I am simply borrowing such characters for entertainment reasons, so don't sue.

Author's Note: This is a short four-chapter story that came to me one day as I was thinking about my two favorite shows and was thinking "Hey, how cool would it be to combine them?" Basically, this takes place after season 5 of Gilmore Girls, and two years after the demise of Sunnydale. There is a pair of lesbians in this story, so if that isn't your thing, please leave the page now. Thank you to all of those who checked the first chapter out. Even though you aren't reviewing, I know you're reading, so thanks so much! I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Two

"Oh, hey." Rory said, timidly, not sure what this redhead wanted.

"I saw you here and was wondering what a pretty girl like you was doing sitting on a beach all by herself." The redhead smiled, "Unless you come here to think, which I do a lot, too."

Rory nodded, "Yeah, I came here to think. My mom and I used to go swimming at beaches when I was younger. We never saw this one, though, and now that I see it, I think she'd love it here."

"Where is your mom?" The other woman asked, settling her toes in the tidal pool as well.

"She's at home, I think. I…haven't really talked to her in awhile." Rory said, a hint of sadness in her voice, "We live in a town called Stars Hollow, it's in Connecticut. Well she lives there now. I live…well right now I live in Hartford with my grandparents."

The redhead nodded, "Do you and your mom get along?"

Rory's eyes filled with tears as she spoke, "We used to. We were best friends."

The woman puckered her lips into a sympathetic pout, "I'm sorry." A few seconds of silence ensued before she perked up, "Oh, excuse my manners, I'm Willow. Willow Rosenberg-Maclay."

Rory smiled at Willow, "Nice to meet you. I'm Rory Gilmore. Well, Lorelai really. I was named after my mother, Lorelai Gilmore, but she calls me Rory."

"Rory's a nice name. It beats mine, and heck, most of my family's." Willow grinned.

Rory chuckled, "I like the name Willow."

Willow blushed, "So, you a writer?" She asked, gesturing to Rory's notebook.

Rory nodded, "Yeah. Well at least I was. I still am, I think. I wanted to be a journalist."

Willow looked interested, "What stopped you?"

Rory sighed, "Long story. Self-doubt, doubt from others, comments about me not being suited for it."

"What is your major now?" Willow asked.

Rory looked embarrassed almost, "I don't have one. I dropped out of college, and as a result, got kicked out of my mother's house."

Willow nodded, almost like she understood, "I got accepted to practically every college in the United States. Princeton, Columbia, Harvard, Yale. I could have gone anywhere." The redhead cast her green eyes back to her family, "But I didn't. My friends, Buffy and Xander, they needed me in California, where we used to live. The way I look at it, though, is that I would never have met half of the people I know now if I'd come out East then. Tara…my…" Willow looked at Rory, gauging her reaction, "wife…I met her my first year of college."

Rory only smiled, "So it worked out for the best for you."

Willow nodded, "It did. My mother practically had a heart attack, though. She badly wanted me to get my Ivy League experience. But…she got over it. And so will your mom. Granted, my mom had the whole lesbian thing to deal with the next year so, yeah." The redhead laughed, and Rory joined in.

"How did you get all the way out here from California then?" Rory inquired. She'd heard so much about California and was amazed anyone could ever leave.

"We moved here almost two years ago." Willow looked like she was counting in her head, "Two years ago this August. Our town was buried in a big earthquake."

Rory gasped, "Sunnydale! I heard about that!"

Willow looked amazed that the young woman in front of her knew about Sunnydale, "Yeah. It was a whole thing. We got out safely, though, and went to LA, where that big goof with the Sponge Bob trunks worked, and stayed with him almost three months until we moved out here."

"I've never been to California. It's funny, I've been to Europe, Canada, and DC, but never out West." Rory informed her.

"It's not all that it's cracked up to be." Willow chuckled, "Pollution, noise, and earthquakes. No, thank you."

"Will! Come on, we're gonna bury your feet next!" The blonde called out. Willow and Rory both turned to see that both women had buried their feet in the sand, and were ready for Willow to join them.

"Coming, Buffy!" Willow called, and then turned to Rory, "You know what I think?"

"What?" Rory asked, mystified.

"I think you should call your mom. Maybe things have calmed down enough for you two to talk." Willow said, her green eyes dancing.

"I don't know…" Rory said, her hope and her gut mixing the emotions around in her mind.

"Call her." Willow said, "And then come play with us. We can bury your feet."

Rory smiled as Willow raced back to her friends, stooping and grabbing the other woman, with golden brown hair in a kiss. Rory felt a sense of happiness and then a jolt of guilt. Reaching for her purse, she decided Willow was right. It was time to call Lorelai and end the silence.

Rory dialed the familiar number, and waited for it to ring. She'd called her mom's cell instead of the home number, figuring that since it was Saturday afternoon now, her mom would be out. It rang once…twice…Rory knew if it got to five rings, it would go to voicemail. She sincerely hoped it wouldn't. Three rings. The call was halfway through the fourth ring before someone finally picked up. Rory heard her mom's beautiful voice on the other end, saying just two words, "Hello? Rory?"

Rory swallowed a few times before speaking, "Hi." Her voice was timid, and Rory realized she should probably speak louder or her mom wouldn't hear her over the waves lapping against the edge of the rock.

"Hey." Lorelai said. It sounded like she wasn't sure what else to say. Rory really wasn't either, but she was the one who had initiated the call, so she figured she better say more.

"I…miss you." Rory managed to get out. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she needed to say, but she was finding it hard to form words.

"I miss you too, baby." Lorelai said, sounding like she was trying to keep from crying.

"I drove out to the beach this morning. We've never been to this beach, but it got me thinking of when we used to go to the beach in the summers." Rory said, a catch in her voice.

Lorelai chuckled, "Those were fun times. Remember that time when I tried to bury you in the sand, but you kept wiggling so much, I just let you bury me?"

Rory smiled, "Yeah. I made my first Mommy-Castle."

"Which beach did you choose today?" Lorelai asked.

"Kingston Beach. It's in Massachusetts. I just kind of drove, wasn't exactly planning on this exact beach. I met someone here, though, and they told me to call you." Rory said, glancing over at Willow and her family. The youngest girl was now on the sand helping bury Willow's feet, and both guys were playing catch in the water with a Nerf ball.

"You met someone, huh? Cute?" Lorelai teased her daughter.

"She's a girl, Mom. She also has a wife." Rory informed her.

"They're always taken!" Lorelai exclaimed, and Rory laughed.

"Mom, I'm sorry." Rory said, after a few moments of silence.

Rory heard Lorelai sigh, "It's okay. I should have been a better listener. I just shut you out. I'm sorry, too."

"No, I should have listened to reason before throwing it all away. I may never, ever get it back." Rory said, mournfully, "I'm such an idiot."

"No, you're not. Confused? Yes. Idiot? No." Lorelai said, her voice soft.

"Very confused." Rory agreed, "Hey, Mom?"

"Yeah?" Lorelai asked.

"Want to go to the beach?" Rory asked, hopefully.

Lorelai chuckled, "Well it so happens that I was watching Charlie's Angels on DVD for the five thousandth time, and, yeah, a beach outing sounds much better. Can I meet you there in about an hour and a half?"

"Mom, it took me three hours to get here! Plus, do you actually know where this beach is?" Rory asked her thoughts in high gear.

"I'm going to take the Interstate, and yeah, I know where Kingston Beach is." Lorelai said, patiently.

Rory giggled, "Okay then. See you soon?"

"See you very soon." Lorelai corrected, her voice becoming happier with each sentence.

"Oh, Mom?" Rory asked.

"I love you too." Lorelai said, without hesitation.

"Well yeah, that, and can you bring my suit? I kind of don't have it." Rory said, sheepishly.

"Absolutely. Until an hour and a half from now." Lorelai told her daughter.

"Bye, Mom." Rory said, and closed her phone with a snap. Smiling, she gathered her notebook, purse, and shoes and headed over to Willow and her family. She was nervous about interrupting a family outing, but Willow grabbed her hand and led her over to the group.

"Guys, this is Rory." Willow began, "This is my wife, Tara." Willow said, pointing to her, "My best friend, Buffy, and her little sister, Dawn. And those big goofballs in the water are Buffy's fiancée, Angel, and my other best friend, Xander."

"Hi, Rory. It's nice to meet you. Want to join us in burying Dawnie's feet?" Tara asked, gesturing to where Dawn's feet were half-buried in a mound of sand.

Rory smiled shyly, "Sure. Hi, Dawn."

The teenager gave Rory a big smile, "Hi!" Rory flopped down in the sand, her worries about intruding forgotten. Everyone seemed nice and friendly, and it was nice to have someone to talk to, even though she barely knew Willow and Dawn, and everyone else. Logan, Lane, and Paris were all out of town this summer, so the last month had been incredibly lonely.

To Be Continued…


	3. Concern

Beach

By: Alyson Tierney

Disclaimer: I do not own Lorelai Gilmore, Rory Gilmore, or any related Gilmore Girls characters or places mentioned. Those all belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB network. I also do not own Buffy Summers, Dawn Summers, Willow Rosenberg, Tara Maclay, Angel, or any related Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel characters or places mentioned. They belong to Joss Whedon and the WB and UPN networks. After this long paragraph it should be obvious that I am simply borrowing such characters for entertainment reasons, so don't sue.

Author's Note: This is a short four-chapter story that came to me one day as I was thinking about my two favorite shows and was thinking "Hey, how cool would it be to combine them?" Basically, this takes place after season 5 of Gilmore Girls, and two years after the demise of Sunnydale. There is a pair of lesbians in this story, so if that isn't your thing, please leave the page now. Thank you to Ang1 and Gilmore-Buffy-Fan13 for reviewing, and thank you to everyone else for reading. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Three

The familiar Jeep pulled into an empty space near Rory's Prius and Willow's family's minivan. Buffy's sharp hearing heard the car first and she looked up, "Is that your mom?" she asked Rory.

Rory looked up and the huge grin that spread across her face completely gave the answer away. She jumped up, almost knocking over part of the castle she, Dawn, and Buffy were in the process of building. As Lorelai exited the Jeep, she smiled as she saw her daughter sprinting across the sand towards her. She barely had time to put her beach bag down before Rory threw herself at her mother. The embrace was comforting and fierce at the same time, as mother and daughter clutched each other like a lifeline.

Tears were streaming down Rory's cheeks as she pulled back and looked into her mother's blue eyes. Lorelai smiled faintly and reached out to wipe away the tears, "Hey. No tears. It's okay." Lorelai soothed, running her thumbs across Rory's face, wiping the tear tracks away.

"I feel so guilty. I hurt you so bad." Rory let her emotions loose now that she was with her mom. The tears flowed freely, like she'd held them pent up in the storm gates for the last month.

"Hey, hearts mend, especially when they get to spend days at the beach. It's not like I didn't hurt your feelings when I said you couldn't come home if you weren't going to college." Lorelai said, smiling through foggy eyes.

Rory sniffled, "I'm so, so sorry."

Lorelai took one of Rory's hands in hers, "I know you are. I'm sorry, too. We'll talk, okay? We're going to have a long, long talk, and I'll listen and keep an open mind."

Rory nodded, "Okay."

Lorelai tossed the beach bag back into the Jeep and engaged the door lock, and then led her daughter across the sand to a walking path that snaked its way down the beach, in the opposite direction of where Rory had been playing. Rory let her eyes fall on Buffy and Dawn, and Buffy smiled and mouthed to her 'We'll be here.' Rory was glad she'd found friends when she didn't seem to have any, and even happier that they'd encouraged her to call her mom.

Lorelai caught her daughter's glance and smiled, "Are those your friends?"

Rory nodded as she felt pavement under her feet, and stopped to slip her sandals back on, "Yeah. That's Buffy and Dawn, they're sisters. Willow's the one I met first, Tara's her wife, Angel is Buffy's fiancée, and Xander has been Buffy and Willow's best friend for a long time."

"I'll have to thank Willow for having you call me. I wanted to call you, but was worrying about letting you have your space and intruding when you didn't want me to." Lorelai said, slipping an arm around her daughter's waist, as they walked slowly down the sidewalk. The Atlantic Ocean and a small slice of sand lined one side of the path, while the other side slowly sloped upwards into a rocky bluff.

"I wanted to call you too, I was just afraid you wouldn't want to talk to me after how I treated you." Rory admitted, smiling as she heard Willow's squeal of happiness in the water behind her.

"I would have talked to you. No matter how upset or angry I am, I'll still talk to you if you need to." Lorelai said, her face twisted into a concerned pout.

Rory smiled, "That's good to know."

The Gilmore women walked for a few moments in silence, before they approached a bench along the walking path. Lorelai sat down, and Rory followed. Mother and daughter sat and watched the waves wash up among the rocks and sand, until Lorelai finally spoke, "Do you want to talk about it now?"

Rory nodded, and looked towards her newfound friends. They were about 100 yards away now, but Rory could still tell which figure was who. She seemed to be gathering her thoughts, "I got scared, I guess."

Lorelai pursed her lips and slowly nodded her head like she understood, "Hey, I understand being scared. When you're getting ready to go out into the world, or are forced to look at a dramatically changing future, it's understandable to get terrified. I was terrified when I had you."

Rory almost looked shocked, "You were? From what I hear, you were completely nonchalant about the whole thing."

Lorelai chuckled, "Yeah, I kept up that pretense. I was scared, though. I worried that I was going to fail as a parent. Worried that you would hate me someday because I couldn't give you the life my parents gave me."

"I could never hate you." Rory said, her voice close to a whisper.

"I know that now." Lorelai said, giving Rory her best 'duh' look, and then grinning, "My point is that it's completely normal to get scared when thinking about the big future looming, but if you run away from it you might miss out on some great things. I never would have met Sookie or Luke if we hadn't moved. You wouldn't have gotten to meet Lane or any of your boyfriends."

"That is true." Rory smiled, her brows wrinkled as she contemplated what her mom said.

"It's instinctual to run away, especially if someone tells you to." Lorelai added.

"I know it was stupid to listen to Mr. Huntzberger. I'd just been having doubts for a long time, and that was sort of the final straw, you know?" Rory said, her stomach beginning to ache as she remembered her downward spiral last month.

"I know. I'm in complete understanding here. A month gives you time to think and process things. I shouldn't have told you to not come home. It made me feel like a bad mother for saying that, I felt like one of those mothers on TV." Lorelai looked upset and Rory's heart immediately reached out to her mom's.

"It probably gave me a push in the right direction, though. I think I'm going to go back to college." Rory said, gauging her mother's reaction.

Lorelai's face broke into a brilliant smile, "That's great, honey. Don't go back just to make me happy, though."

Rory shook her head, "I'm not. I'm going back because I realized I don't want to do any of the jobs Grandma and Grandpa found for me. I'm going to need to finish my journalism major if I want any jobs in the writing field. I don't have to be a field reporter. I could write for a newspaper or magazine or I could work for a publications office or something."

"That sounds potentially fun." Lorelai agreed, "Do you need any help re-registering at Yale?"

Rory grinned, "You'd help me?"

"I could do the Dean of Admissions to get you back in." Lorelai offered.

Rory groaned, "Mom! First off, she is a woman, second, she is straight and married, and thirdly, you have a boyfriend."

Lorelai hesitated, "About that…"

Rory's eyes widened, "Oh, you didn't!"

"Didn't what?" Lorelai asked, not sure what her daughter meant.

"Why did you break up? Was it me?" Rory looked horrified.

"Honey, we didn't break up," Lorelai hesitated, but Rory's pleading eyes begged her to go on, "We're engaged."

To Be Continued…


	4. Exhilaration

Beach

By: Alyson Tierney

Disclaimer: I do not own Lorelai Gilmore, Rory Gilmore, or any related Gilmore Girls characters or places mentioned. Those all belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB network. I also do not own Buffy Summers, Dawn Summers, Willow Rosenberg, Tara Maclay, Angel, or any related Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel characters or places mentioned. They belong to Joss Whedon and the WB and UPN networks. After this long paragraph it should be obvious that I am simply borrowing such characters for entertainment reasons, so don't sue.

Author's Note: This is a short four-chapter story that came to me one day as I was thinking about my two favorite shows and was thinking "Hey, how cool would it be to combine them?" Basically, this takes place after season 5 of Gilmore Girls, and two years after the demise of Sunnydale. There is a pair of lesbians in this story, so if that isn't your thing, please leave the page now. I didn't have any real plans to extend this story any more than just a way to get Lorelai and Rory speaking again. There may be other stories with Willow and Rory and everyone else together, but this is the last chapter for this story. Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story, and keep an eye out for other stories.

Chapter Four

Rory didn't move for a second, seemingly letting the information seep in. Then her eyes widened in a huge grin, and she let out a screech of happiness. Rory lunged into her mother's arms and hugged her tightly, "Oh, my God! When? What happened? Who proposed? Oh, my God, why didn't you say something?" Rory let loose with a rapid-fire of questions as she pulled away, her blue eyes bright and sparkling.

"Well, I asked him, and he said yes a few weeks ago, but we both swore not to say anything or display my ring until we'd told you. I wanted to call and just scream the news at you, but I felt like giving you a chance to calm down and talk to me before we got all excited." Lorelai grinned at her daughter's excitement.

"You have a ring? Let me see! I know you have it on you!" Rory was practically shrieking with happiness now.

Lorelai smiled and reached into the pocket of her denim shorts, "You know me too well. We had this designed and it was ready last week, and I've carried it with me ever since." She produced a simple but elegant engagement ring, bordered with several smaller multicolored gems and a larger diamond in the middle. Rory grinned as she realized the smaller gems were opals, her own birthstone. The message was clear, Lorelai and Luke both wanted to include Rory when they created a family.

"It's beautiful." Rory said, softly, "Did you pick a date yet?"

"We waited for your input before deciding on anything related to the wedding. I wouldn't make any major decisions without telling you first." Lorelai said, smiling as her daughter examined the ring, before leaning over and slipping it onto her mom's left ring finger where it belonged.

"I say as soon as damn possible." Rory grinned mischievously, "I want the twin sister and brother you're supposedly giving me."

Lorelai held back a bark of laughter, "Oh, this happiness is a scheme to get a baby brother and sister?"

"A larger family always suited my interests." Rory grinned and shrugged.

Lorelai grinned for a moment, and her face turned solemn, "Would you please come home? It's lonely without you. Luke does his best, but he's no you."

Rory's face broke into an even wider smile, "If you'll have me."

Lorelai nodded, "Can we move you back tonight?"

Rory chuckled, "Sure, why not."

Lorelai bounced on the bench, and squealed with happiness, "Thanks, babe."

Rory looked out at the ocean, and realized that no one was in the water anymore. They were all seated on beach towels, and it looked as if they were having a snack. She grinned, and then turned back to her mom. Lorelai stood, and extended her hand to her daughter, which Rory took gratefully. Heading back to the beach where Willow and her family was, the duo swung their arms together, and Rory very nearly started skipping. She'd come here so miserable just a couple of hours ago, thinking her life couldn't get any worse, and now she was over the moon happy.

Willow and her family all looked up as Lorelai and Rory came back towards them. Rory reached the sand, and pulled her sandals back off. She loved feeling sand between her toes, but hated walking on pavement with bare feet. She smiled as they walked closer, and Willow stood to meet Lorelai and Rory.

"Hey, Rory, is it all good now?" Willow asked, smiling at her new friend.

Rory nodded, "Yeah. This is my mom, Lorelai. Mom, this is Willow."

Lorelai extended her hand, which Willow shook, "Nice to meet you. This is my family. Buffy, Xander, Dawn, Angel, and that's my wife, Tara." Willow pointed to each of them in turn and they smiled and waved at Lorelai.

"It's nice to meet you all. Thank you for being so nice to Rory and having her call me." Lorelai said.

Willow smiled, "Don't mention it. I just was never a fan of estrangement from family or friends." Willow cast a glance to Buffy and Xander, who smiled at her. Lorelai wondered what estrangement she was talking about, but since they were practically strangers, it wasn't exactly her business.

"Hey, you want to join us? We've got extra snacks." Buffy offered, nudging Angel so he would move over to make room. Rory noticed the gold ring on his finger, with a red gem imbedded in it. Buffy had an engagement ring on her left ring finger, but she'd taken it off when she was swimming. Angel had never taken the ring he was wearing off.

Lorelai smiled, "We've got snacks to share, too. Let me just run to the Jeep."

Rory watched her mom race to the Jeep, as she sat down between Dawn and Buffy. Dawn smiled at her as she rummaged through the cooler for more snacks. She watched as Willow sat back down next to Tara. The way Willow looked at Tara intrigued Rory. There was love and trust and compassion, naturally, but she sensed a hint of darkness and loss. Realization that she'd just observed that struck her, but she shook it back and took the pack of fruit snacks Dawn offered her. Feeling her presence, Rory looked up and watched as her mom raced back towards the group. Lorelai plopped down with an armload of goodies that could probably feed an entire school cafeteria for a month—or Lorelai and Rory for a day.

Rory's cell phone rang halfway through snack time. Pulling it out, she groaned, "It's Grandma." Rolling her eyes, she walked a few feet from the towels and answered, "Hi, Grandma."

"Rory!" Emily's shrill voice came over the line, "Dinner is in an hour! Where are you? When will you be home? You have been gone all day!"

"Sorry, Grandma. I just went to the beach and met these amazing people and they got me to call Mom, so she came here, and we're hanging out at the beach." Rory explained.

"Oh." Even Lorelai could hear Emily's disappointment from three feet away, "Are you coming back?"

"To get my stuff and go back to my own house, yes." Rory informed her. She could feel her mother's gloating without even looking at her.

"Oh." Emily said again, "We'll keep the light on for you in the pool house then."

"Thanks, Grandma. Thanks for everything. It's just time for me to go back to my rightful home." Rory said, sincerely. A strong feeling of happiness emanated from Lorelai, and Rory smiled at her mother.

"You're welcome, Rory. You are family, and your grandfather and I are here for you." Emily said, managing to hide her disappointment.

"I will always remember that. Mom and I will be by later tonight or tomorrow to get my stuff." Rory noticed Lorelai's eyes widen and she shook her head, mouthing 'No!' Rory looked at her sternly, and turned back to the conversation.

"All right, Rory. Goodbye." Emily said, her tone void of any emotion.

"Bye, Grandma." Rory beeped the phone off and headed back to her mom. Lorelai reached up and grabbed Rory's hand as she sat, and kissed her soft brown hair, happy that her daughter was coming home.

The End

Thank you for reading


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